The Imposter Phenomenon :: Women Imposter Phenomenon Essays

The Imposter Phenomenon The Imposter Phenomenon as defined by the Womens Studies Encyclopedia Revised and Expanded Edition ed. Helen Tierney, 1999 The Imposter Phenomenon is an cozy experience of intellectual phoniness that seems to be prevalent among high-achieving persons, with particularly deleterious do on women It is an emotionally debilitating condition characterized by persistent and unreasonable anxiety about achievement, dread of evaluation, fear of failure and exposure, inability to internalise success, and lack of enjoyment of accomplishment and achievement.Nestled between the stacks on the 8th floor of Uris Library, I am King of the Hill. Through the windowpane my realm is expansive I can see Libe Slope stretchability below me fringed with the solid, quiet beauty of the gothics. Beyond this, Cayuga Lake glimmers in the good afternoon sun. I feel so powerful. Here I am at an Ivy League university with every resource and opportunity waiting to be discovered. I am so fortunate to be here. I work out at my fellow students trudging purposefully up and down the slope. They atomic number 18 so small. Yet even from this distance I can see the pledge in their steps, their grace and determination, and the skillful way they carry the demands of an academic upon their shoulders. They are true knights of our university, fighting for understanding and mastery of their fields. In the light of their glory, my vizor fades. Who am I to call myself King? I may be a knight but I am pretending. My armor is do of aluminum foil, my shield is cardboard. Even high in this tower, I am small. After hearing about the imposter syndrome for the first time, I couldnt stop thinking about it. It was something I identified with but had neer put a name to. How many times have I questioned myself and my abilities? I figured that it is a normal part of growing up, a personal insecurity as I try to discover who I am and where I fit in the web of life. I didnt necessar ily see it as a bad thing. But when I started doing research and saw how intelligent, capable, and talented adults are dealing with these same issues I began to see it as a pervasive problem. Especially when these professionals are turn down promotions because they feel they arent good enough, or are unhappy in life because they arent happy with themselves.